German trade fairs to hit nearly 13m visitors in 2023

The German tradeshow industry is seeing a strong growth in visitors with almost 13 million expected this year.

New association forecasts reveal the surge in demand – with the number already increasing in H1 by a third when compared with the first six months of last year.

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Meanwhile, ExCel London has recorded its best-ever June, while UFI has named Hong Kong as host city for its 2025 Global Congress.

Read on for your full Week in Events industry news roundup.

German tradeshows poised for a strong finish in 2023

Germany’s trade fair industry is on track to regain pre-Covid growth levels in 2023, according to a new report.

Forecasts from the annual AUMA Trends 2023/2024 report show more than 180,000 exhibiting companies and up to 13 million visitors are expected this year.

The number of exhibitors rose by a quarter compared with the first half of 2022, while the number of visitors increased by one-third.

Jörn Holtmeier, managing director of AUMA, said: “Dates for trade fairs in summer are not taking root – a phenomenon that was seen in 2022 due to the backlog.

“Almost all 2024 trade fair dates will return to their long-established dates, which sit outside the big holiday periods.”

A total of 125 tradeshows are slated to be held by the year-end including Gamescom, Caravan Salon and IFA.

In H1 2023, 200 tradeshows were held with over 115,000 exhibitors and 6.8mn visitors.

ExCeL clocks 250k+ event visitors in June 2023

London’s largest venue ExCeL recorded its biggest month in June with more than 250,000 tech event arrivals.

The list includes the likes of Salesforce World Tour London, Adobe Summit EMEA 2023, Infosecurity Europe 2023 alongside corporate shows like Amazon, Adobe and Salesforce.

A total of 89 events were held during the month – most being AI and fintech-focused.

ExCeL’s CEO Jeremy Rees said: “June has traditionally been a strong month for ExCeL but nothing quite like what we experienced last month.

“London and ExCeL has a long and successful affiliation with the technology industry, with worldwide brands drawn by the city’s world-class tech professionals and investors, complemented by our own world-class event venue.”

The venue is projected to hit more than one million arrivals this year, surpassing its previous best in 2019.

A 25,000 sq m construction expansion is also expected to complete by October 2024 – adding new convention facilities, conference rooms and exhibition halls.

Rees added: “The venue has also seen a steep rise in the return of the corporate event sector following the pandemic.

“In turn, this had led to hotels on our campus registering high occupancy, and increased international travel into London’s six major airports.”

NEC Group announces new chairman

Event firm NEC Group has named its CEO of 16 years as the new chairman.

Group CEO Paul Thandi will replace outgoing chairman Peter Phillipson in September.

His experience with firm has seen him transform investment, digital and business intelligence strategies as well as signed new commercial partnerships.

https://twitter.com/thenecgroup/status/1679404809546354689

Thandi said: “To be at the helm of this incredible business for so many years has been an honour and I look forward to maintaining a key role in driving the growth of the Group.

“We have been lucky to secure Mel to take on the leadership position.

“The importance of our people and my belief in giving them the best leadership, support and strategy, are all values that Mel shares close to her in her business and personal life, and I look forward to working with her over the coming years.”

Meanwhile, industry veteran Melanie Smith has been appointed as the new group CEO.

Prior to this, Melanie served in various leadership roles at Ocado.com, Marks & Spencer, Bupa and TalkTalk.

A new CFO has also been announced, with Paul Reeve succeeding Richard Ashton in October.

Paul has previously worked in senior finance roles at AEG and AEG Europe.

UFI Global Congress returns to Hong Kong after more than two decades

The UFI global congress will take place in Hong Kong in 2025, the first time since 2000.

AsiaWorld-Expo will host the 92nd edition of the event.

It will feature a number of activations throughout the “Greater Bay Area” to show the region’s potential.

UFI President Michael Duck said: “The UFI Global Congress will conclude a multi-year tour through the world’s leading exhibition markets in 2025 – after the USA in 2023 and Germany in 2024, Hong Kong will take the global UFI community to Greater China.

“We will also be able to celebrate the 20-year anniversary of AsiaWorld-Expo together with our hosts.”

AsiaWorld-Expo CEO Irene Chan added: “Located at the heart of China’s fast-growing Greater Bay Area, AsiaWorld-Expo is the perfect showcase of the synergies and rich potential of this vibrant market.

“2025 is also a landmark year for witnessing another major milestone in the region’s growth: the ongoing development of SKYCITY, where AWE is situated, and where new cross-border facilities are taking shape.”

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